militarywikiaorg-20200222-history
Aichi E16A
The Aichi E16A ''Zuiun'' (瑞雲 "Auspicious Cloud", Allied reporting name "Paul") was a two-seat reconnaissance seaplane operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. Design and development The Aichi E16A originated from a 1939 specification for a replacement for the Aichi E13A, which at that time had yet to be accepted by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service (IJNAS).Francillon 1979, p. 284. Disagreements about the requirements in the 14-''Shi'' specification prevented most manufacturers from submitting designs, but in 1941 a new 16-''Shi'' specification was drafted by the IJNAS around the Aichi AM-22 design which had already been made by Aichi engineers Kishiro Matsuo and Yasuhiro Ozawa. The first AM-22, which first got the experimental designation Navy Experimental 16-Shi Reconnaissance Seaplane and later the short designation E16A1, was completed by May 1942 and was a conventional, low-wing monoplane equipped with two floats and had the unusual (for a seaplane) feature of being equipped with dive brakes, located in the front legs of the float struts, to allow it to operate in a secondary role as a dive bomber. Variants Bunrindō (1983), p. 110–111, p. 159–163Bunrindō (1994), p. 8, p. 25, p. 71–77 ;E16A1 Experimental Type 16 reconnaissance seaplane (16試水上偵察機, 16-Shi Suijō Teisatsuki) :Initial named Experimental Type 14 two-seat reconnaissance seaplane (14試2座水上偵察機, 14-Shi 2-Za Suijō Teisatsuki). 3 prototypes produced. Mounted Mitsubishi MK8A Kinsei 51 engine, 2 × forward-firing 7.7 mm machine guns, 1 × rearward-firing 7.7 mm machine gun. ;E16A1 Zuiun Model 11 (瑞雲11型, Zuiun 11-gata) :General production model. Mounted Mitsubishi MK8N Kinsei 54 engine, 2 × forward-firing 20 mm cannons, 1 × rearward-firing 13 mm machine gun. ;E16A2 Provisional name Zuiun Model 12 (仮称瑞雲12型, Kashō Zuiun 12-gata) :Initial named Zuiun Model 22. Single prototype with a Mitsubishi MK8P Kinsei 62 radial engine. One plane converted from E16A1, incomplete. Operators ; *Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service *Naval vessel **[[Japanese battleship Ise|Battleship Ise]], supplied from 634th Kōkūtai. **[[Japanese battleship Hyūga|Battleship Hyūga]], supplied from 634th Kōkūtai. *Air unit **[[Kitaura Naval Air Group|Kitaura Kōkutai]] **[[Yokosuka Naval Air Group|Yokosuka Kōkutai]] **[[634th Naval Air Group|634th Kōkutai]] **[[801st Naval Air Group|801st Kōkutai]] **301st Reconnaissance Hikōtai **302nd Reconnaissance Hikōtai Specifications (E16A1 Zuiun Model 11) of bombs |avionics= }} See also * Aichi E13A * Arado Ar 196 * Vought OS2U Kingfisher * List of aircraft of World War II * List of aircraft of Japan, World War II * List of aircraft of the Japanese Navy * List of military aircraft of Japan References ;Notes ;Bibliography * Francillon, Ph.D., René J. Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War. London: Putnam & Company Ltd., 1979. ISBN 0-370-30251-6. * Green, William. "Aichi E16A1 Zui-un (Paul)" War Planes of the Second World War, Volume Six: Floatplanes. London: Macdonald & Co.(Publishers) Ltd., 1962, pp. 116–118. * Taylor, Michael J.H. Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions, 1989, p. 43. *Bunrindō (Japan) **Kōku-Fan Illustrated Special, Japanese Military Aircraft Illustrated Vol. 3 "Recinnaissance/Flying-boat/Trainer/Transport", January 1983 **''Famous Airplanes of the World No. 47 "Imperial Japanese Navy Reconnaissance Seaplane"'', July 1994 External links E16A Category:1940s Japanese military reconnaissance aircraft Category:Floatplanes Category:Single-engined tractor aircraft Category:Low-wing aircraft